Monthly Archives: November 2011

Last Saturday, while riding my bike home from an errand, I crashed with a young boy on his skateboard who dashed across the road. Thankfully, I hit his skateboard rather than him.

The x-rays revealed what my body felt when it hit the concrete. A fractured pelvis and a fractured elbow to accompany the road rash up and down the left side of my body.

But attitude is everything, and angels are everywhere:

* The boy on the skateboard could have instantly darted away. Instead, “Jake” stayed and helped, and his friends went for help.* On-going motorists and neighbors could have passed by. Instead, they stopped, carried me out of the street where I had laid for many minutes, and brought me to a nearby yard. One brought pillows, another blankets.* Police and fire fighters arrived, and could not have been more professional and positive.* 11 hours in Emergency Room are never easy, but the folks at Good Samaritan lived up to their hospital’s name.

Healing does not begin now. The healing began the moment my body slammed to the pavement, surrounded by such caring and compassionate strangers.

Former Minnesota Twins baseball legend Harmon Killebrew tells a story about his father. He and his brother and dad were rough-housing on the front-lawn when his mom came out and said to his dad, “All that wrestling around is pulling up the lawn.” He never forgot his dad’s gentle reply – “We’re not raising a lawn. We’re raising two sons.”

I’ve been traveling a lot lately – more than I would like. My two girls, Jessica – almost seven – and Siena, two-and-a-half, deserve to see more of their dad. Slowly, I am becoming much more selective as I make decisions for my life which impact the lives of my children. Let’s ask ourselves the tough questions: Is this business trip really needed? Is that dinner or speech or event a high priority?

When it comes to our kids, it’s not just quality time – its also quantity time.

Here’s a secret to moms and dads in our always-too-busy silicon valley. If you want to see a lot of your kids when they are older, invest a lot of time with your kids while they are younger. The relationships we build today will be the only foundation standing tomorrow.

And for goodness sakes, don’t worry about messing up the lawn. The lawn has a chance to grow back. Our kids only grow-up once.

The recent Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s assessment of the BART to Silicon Valley extension confirms what we at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group have long known to be true: The benefits of the project far outweigh the cost. The assessment compared the benefits of the extension from San Jose’s Berryessa Station, through Downtown San Jose and on to Santa Clara – and the results are in – MTC found that the project’s benefits are five times its cost.

We, at the Leadership Group, have championed the BART extension, recognizing its ability to create jobs and stimulate our economy. The project will increase our productivity, economic competitiveness and livability – through time saved in traffic, greater regional mobility, less dependence on the automobile and oil, and reduced Green House Gas emissions. We are pleased that the MTC’s independent assessment arrives at the same conclusion as Santa Clara County voters, who have twice voted to tax themselves to support this critical project.